FLOUR AND EGGS BIND THIS FAMILY TOGETHER

Like with many families, Montgomery and her kin see their time together in the kitchen over the years as something that binds them and makes Mother’s Day even sweeter.

So it’s no wonder that Montgomery recently opened a bakery with her daughter, inspired by family recipes that go back to her Texas childhood.

The Cupcake Store in Santee will be open today, and if you swing by you might see Montgomery and her youngest, Yvette Nolta, behind the counter or in the kitchen, crafting items such as their German chocolate fusion mini-cake and their chocolate and peanut butter with marshmallow frosting concoction.

It’s a business, sure, and it’s a way to nourish old bonds.

“All my children have helped me in the kitchen over the years,” said Montgomery, who has four grown children with her husband of 50 years, Les. “Cooking is the best connection you can have with them, boys or girls.”

Running a business can be fraught with tension, though, even among family — or perhaps especially among family.

So mother and daughter came up with a division of labor before they opened shop at Carlton Hills Boulevard and Carlton Oaks Drive in February. Montgomery concentrates on the baking; Nolta, 41, focuses on the business side in light of her experience with operating small enterprises.

“We have clearly defined rules that help us not butt heads and not be jerks to one another,” said Nolta, smiling.

They say it’s working. Plus, they get valued time together in the kitchen. “We’re a very, very tight family,” Montgomery said.

Nearly all of her immediate relatives — four children, 10 grandchildren, one great-grandchild — live within five minutes of her Mast Boulevard house. They’ll meet there tonight to honor all the mothers in the bunch.

Nolta and her husband, Vance, are raising two girls, 1-year-old Lucy and 5-year-old Lily.

Lily has started helping her mother in the kitchen, and Nolta cherishes those moments.

And it was Lily who provided the initial reason for opening the store. Her parents, a deeply religious couple, like the rest of the clan, are enrolling her in a Christian school and aim to make enough from the shop to cover tuition.

The store has a staff of five and sells a wide variety of cupcakes, some of them rooted in family recipes.

Among the most popular: the carrot cupcake with cream cheese frosting and the “mancake,” which comes with maple buttercream frosting and a stick of bacon.

“We figured it has everything that appeals to a man’s palate,” Nolta said.

The business also sells gluten- and sugar-free cupcakes on some days, along with “pupcakes” — baked treats for dogs.

A handmade sign hangs in the kitchen, reading: “Lord, Bless This Shop.”

It was made by one of Montgomery’s granddaughters.

They plan to open the store at 11 a.m. today and close at 3 p.m. Their extended family will then gather at a Santee home for dinner.